My response is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting “just a little help.” A little assistance with a designer can go a long way. In a few hours a designers can help you in a variety of ways such as helping you pick colors, identify your style, create a more functional yet still beautiful space or help you edit your space (adding or subtracting items) to make it feel more complete.

Many people watch design shows on television where people tear into their spaces ripping out and discarding everything. While the end result is dramatic and new, it is often a very costly and potentially wasteful process. And more importantly a beautiful space can often be obtained much more simply and quickly.

Here’s a few ways a decision can assist you in a limited amount of time:

• Color selection: Paint is one way to bring color into your space and it can give you the “biggest bang for your buck.” However choosing the right color or colors can be daunting. There are so many colors out there and you want to choose something that sets the right “tone” to your room and that complements the furniture, fabrics, artwork etc. already in place. In addition you need to consider whether the color flows nicely with other colors as you move from room to room, how light will impact your color, whether you want to have an accent wall, use a different colored trim and whether that little swatch will really look good all over your walls. The considerations are many, so get some help up front and paint just once!  Maybe you love your paint, but you need help picking out the colors in furniture, fabrics and accessories. Whatever your color dilemma, a designer can help!
• Style: A designer can help you identify your style and how to use this style when choosing furniture, fabrics and accessories for your space.
• Layout: Placing your furniture can be quite challenging. We’ve all seen those quirky rooms where the furniture just doesn’t seem to work or see a beautiful empty space and once the furniture is in the room realize that the 5 doors into the room make a horrible traffic flow issue!  A designer can help you arrange your furniture so that your space is both functional and beautiful. With 3D design software you can even see your room virtually and try out several arrangements before you break your back moving everything around. A designer can also help you configure built-in cabinetry for your kitchen, bathroom and other rooms in your space. They can provide you with floor plans and drawings that will help you or your installer place everything correctly.
• Pulling your room together: A designer can help you decide what works in your room and what doesn’t. You can then focus on buying only those pieces or items that your need and rid your rooms of the pieces that just don’t fit. It may be that all you need are some new accessories, or paint, or some new upholstery to update and freshen up your space and give you the room you love.

These are just a few of the ways a designer can provide assistance. Getting “just a little help” up front can save you a whole lot of drama, work and money! An added benefit is that you can feel good about being green. Cutting down on waste, reusing what you have and purchasing wisely are all great ways to be green.

So pick up the phone today and ask for “just a little help.”

Maybe it’s of my background in psychology, where the understanding of relationships is so important, but when I think of design I think that it too is about good relationships. What makes good design is the creation of a relationship; creating a whole from all kinds of different parts. The difference between clutter and beauty can be a fine line, but clutter feels like a bunch of things haphazardly thrown into a room taking up space. Create a relationship between these items and you might just have a great design.

What makes for relationships in design?

• Color: When you repeat color throughout a space it creates a relationship and a coherent design. Additionally, if you want to use several colors in a room, it helps to have them all together in one element, like in a rug, piece of artwork or a fabric. You can also place them together in one place,  a brown sofa with pillows of blue and orange creates the color story. Using these colors in various places in the room then all makes sense.
• Repetition: At stated above, repeating color creates a relationship. So does repeating shapes or patterns, items, motifs or elements. While you may use many colors of paint throughout your home, repeating the same white painted molding, for example, makes the home feel coherent.
• Theme: When I say theme, you might cringe and say, but I don’t want my room to scream circus. A theme can be expressed subtly through the use of color and a few chosen items which speak to the theme. For example if  you want to bring the outside in, use the colors found in nature and include some plants.  You can also do something unexpected such as using a ceramic lighthouse and making it into a lamp for a room with a beach feel.
• “Vignette” or Story: If you love old books stack them up with a pair of old reading glasses on them, or place them in a bookcase next to a comfy reading chair with appropriate lighting, making the meaning of the space clear. Use an area rug to define your seating area in a larger room.
• Group like items: Instead of spreading that collection of vases around the room, where they may look haphazard or random, or have no impact, place them all together and you make a statement.

Don’t think that creating a relationship means you can’t mix things up. You can use those antique pieces you love and mix them into your modern space. Just think about how they relate (color, size, shape etc.) and you can find a way to make it work. And don’t forget that throwing something unexpected into the room can keep it feeling lively and fresh. Just don’t go too far or it will feel jarring and out of place. That balance between harmony and spice keeps all of our relationships alive and interesting, inside and outside of the design world!

Remember have fun and if you love it you can find it way to incorporate it!